Cougars take twin bill from Air Force

PROVO — BYU left fielder Kory Knell admits he's been playing out of his mind of late, ever since coming back from a two-game absence after suffering a concussion from a hard home-plate tag two weeks ago.

"I've been on a roll ever since," he said.

That roll continued in a big way Friday at Miller Park as Knell led the Cougar baseball team to a pair of Mountain West Conference victories over Air Force, 17-2 and 22-14.

The junior from Salt Lake City hit a pair of two-run home runs in the opener and in the nightcap smacked a solo shot off the leftfield scoreboard and a grand slam in which the ball bounced off the street and into shrubs outside the Marriott Center.

Knell finished a combined 6-of-10, with four homers, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored.

Designated hitter Jeff Hiestand tried to match Knell's long-ball production, hitting a two-run homer and a solo shot in the first game and another one-run blast in the second.

BYU improves to 26-28 overall and 15-12 MWC, while the Falcons drop to 5-45 and 0-26.

The Cougars are looking to build momentum and confidence going into next week's MWC tournament in Las Vegas, where BYU is assured the No. 4 seed and a first-round meeting against Utah. The Cougars have a 13-game winning streak against the Utes.

But does feasting on a winless cellar-dweller result in a false sense of confidence? Cougar head coach Vance Law is mindful of such a concern.

"He said it's going to be more of a mental battle and not to slack off," Knell said. "It's preparing us for the conference tournament — that's our goal right now."

After a pair of seven-inning victories in Thursday's doubleheader, the Cougars were just as efficient in the first game, thanks to the 10-run mercy rule. But BYU "slacked off" in the second and needed the full nine innings after watching several double-digit leads evaporate.

Knell and Hiestand led the opening-game attack as the Cougars scored at least two runs in five of their six at-bats, including a six-run third. Besides the home runs, the Cougars added five doubles and a pair of triples.

Knell went 3-for-3, with four runs scored and five runs batted in. Hiestand added four RBI and a double and triple besides his two HRs. And second baseman Wade Vest contributed another four RBI, going 2-of-3 with a double.